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Generally, a swivel is a device employed to couple two parts into a single assembly while enabling one of the parts to rotate with respect to the other part.
The present invention is a novel swivel device for simultaneously 1) enabling rotation of a first structural element with respect to a second structural element, 2) bearing and transferring an axial tension load between said first structural element and said second structural element, and 3) preventing the transfer of non-axial bending or lateral loads between said first structural element and said second structural element. In addition, the swivel device of the present invention is designed and configured to be structurally efficient; maximizing the strength-to-size ratio of the swivel device.
The swivel device of the present invention is useful to, and has particular advantages to the field of marine anchoring systems. However, the usefulness and advantages of the swivel device of the present invention are applicable to any application wherein it is desirable to transfer axial tension loads while reducing or eliminating non-axial bending and sheer loads by means of a structurally strong and efficient swivel device.